"It scares the s— out of me."
The Flyers jetted off to Chicago after practice on Tuesday in preparation for their Feb. 21 game against the Blackhawks, who currently sit last in the Central Division.
Although they still sit third in the Metropolitan Division and are still holding on to a playoff spot, the Flyers have been struggling a bit lately. They suffered an OT loss against the Maple Leafs on Feb. 15, then dropped their Stadium Series game against the New Jersey Devils two days later.
Bedard's Timely Return
The Blackhawks will be helped immensely by the return of Connor Bedard, who was out injured for about a month with a broken jaw. Bedard officially was back in play starting Feb. 15, and has recorded six points (2 goals, 4 asissts) in three straight games since being cleared to play.
The 18-year-old is already making himself out to be a superstar, with eight multi-point games on the season—the most of a player his age in Blackhawks history, and a stat that leads all rookies in the league. Bedard will surely be the Flyers' biggest offensive worry in Chicago, along with Tyler Johnson, who has four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last four games.
Mind Games
John Tortorella said that he didn't want his players to play with their mind against Chicago, implying that the Flyers may have been overthinking their last pair of games in Toronto and New Jersey, which ultimately led to their downfall.
When a team has to worry about holding on to a spot in the playoffs, especially during a season when they weren't planning on this level of success, it's easy to understand how games could start getting to their heads as the season goes. Adding in the mental toll taken by the Cutter Gauthier trade drama and Carter Hart's legal troubles, the Flyers are trying to shake off the outside hullabaloo and, as Tortorella insists time and time again, just play the game.
No Need For All That Jazz
There are no easy games in the NHL, but an away game against a last-place team could be what the Flyers need to get some of their juice back. It won't be a breezy walk in the park, but it's against an opponent that is struggling outside of a couple of serious talents, and that could be the soft(er)ball that could get the Flyers back to winning ways.
They won't need to get fancy and flashy to get past this Blackhawks team. If they can heed Tortorella's desires to not overthink or overcomplicate the task at hand (to win), they have the ability to beat Chicago pretty comfortably. When the Flyers can stay out of their own way, tap into their DNA, and play freely, not even the best teams can stand in their way.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tippett - Couturier - Atkinson
Farabee - Frost - Konecny
Poehling - Cates - Hathaway
Deslauriers - Laughton - Lycksell
Defense:
York - Drysdale
Seeler - Walker
Zamula - Sanheim
Starting Goalie:
Ersson
Blackhawks Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Foligno - Bedard - Kurashev
Beauvillier - Dickinson - Anderson
Johnson - R. Johnson - Raddysh
Blackwell - Entwistle - Donato
Defense:
Vlasic - Jones
Korchinski - Megna
Tinordi - Phillips
Starting Goalie:
Soderblom